Indian Wells 2024: Horrendous Start to the Event as Caroline Wozniacki Blasts ‘Impossible’ Conditions

“I would describe Indian Wells as heaven,” said Caroline Wozniacki right before the 2023 BNP Paribas Open kicked off. Oh, how perceptions can change in just a matter of days. The Indian Wells Masters is one-half of the Sunshine Double for a reason. Every player loves basking in the Californian sun on their quest for the title. That’s part of what makes the tournament so glorious. However, this year’s edition has seen about as much sunshine as on-court action. And Wozniacki wasn’t impressed.

Caroline Wozniacki’s first opponent in Indian Wells was the wind

The 2011 Indian Wells champion returned to the sport in 2023 after the birth of her second child. Having come out of retirement, Wozniacki has taken some time to get into the groove, trying to find her past form. In the three tournaments she’s played leading up to Indian Wells, she’s managed just one win. It understandably hasn’t been easy, and the conditions in Indian Wells didn’t make it any easier.

During her first-round match against Zhu Lin, Wozniacki won the first set in a tiebreak. But after just the first game of the second set, play was suspended due to rain. As she was playing, the Dane was heard saying, “It’s impossible to play in this wind,” per journalist José Morgado. Wind makes it extremely difficult to control topspin. In Wozniacki’s case – who hits the ball fast and flat – she was having a hard time keeping the ball in when she was returning in the direction of the wind. And consequently, she struggled at times to get the ball across while playing against it.

Besides her match, three others – including Venus Williams vs. Nao Hibino – were suspended due to windy conditions and rain. To add more weight to the former World No. 1’s problems, Australian coach Rennae Stubbs shared her thoughts on the subject. She tweeted, “4 of the windiest places on tour. Indian Wells, Miami, Eastbourne & Doha. Almost impossible to play at times in those places because of winds.” She even shared her own experiences.

“I didn’t warm up for a final in Indian Wells once because it was too windy, same in Doha. Miami canceled a day because it was dangerous,” Stubbs explained. Given her list, other players acknowledged it. Britisher Liam Broady wrote, “lol, Eastbourne is legendary for the wind at times. Indian Wells has to be the place for most canceled practices due to high wind, though 😂” Australian player Ellen Perez replied, “Can we please add Cancun to this list 😂” referencing the abysmal conditions at the 2023 WTA Finals.

Speaking of the 2023 WTA Finals, the venue was decided less than two months before the event. And the poorly planned tournament didn’t impress anyone.

Wind problems at the 2023 WTA Finals, which was “not a perfect event”

The WTA Finals is the event that concludes the season, pitting eight of the best singles players of the year against each other. Considering that, you would think it would be a well-planned event, taking into consideration weather factors, at the very least. However, that wasn’t the case in 2023. Scheduled to start on October 29, the WTA Finals was plagued with extremely windy conditions in Cancun.

On media day, Elena Rybakina said, “I guess we’re going to try to do our best to show good tennis, which is not going to be that easy with such windy conditions.” Iga Swiatek echoed that sentiment, explaining, “Because of the wind, I think it’s going to even out every match because sometimes, we’re just going to make more mistakes or not control the ball as we could in different conditions.”

Notably, the semifinal clash between Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula saw two rain delays before Pegula progressed to the finals. As for the second semifinal between Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, it was postponed to Monday. The constant rain delays throughout the week upset not just the players but also the fans. In light of every player’s unhappiness regarding the conditions and lack of planning, WTA Chief Steve Simon sent a letter to them.

Per the Guardian, it read, “It is clear you are not happy with the decision to be here in Cancún. I understand that, and you have been heard. It is not a perfect event. We understand the conditions are a challenge, and the WTA accepts responsibility for that.” Just three months later, a similar situation has taken over the Indian Wells Masters. Do you think we’ll see more suspensions in the coming matches?

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